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Head of Work is a Neolithic long cairn located in Orkney, Scotland, dating to the fourth millennium BCE. The monument comprises a substantial earthen and stone mound characteristic of the long cairn tradition of Neolithic Britain, a funerary and ceremonial structure built by early farming communities. Long cairns of this period typically contained internal burial chambers and served as focal points for ritual activity and the commemoration of the dead. The Head of Work cairn contributes to the important concentration of Neolithic monuments in Orkney, reflecting the significance of these islands as a centre of early farming settlement in northern Britain.
Head of Work,long cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1274. View the official record →
Head of Work is a Neolithic long cairn located in Orkney, Scotland, dating to the fourth millennium BCE. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1274.
Head of Work,long cairn dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a long cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across Britain.
Head of Work,long cairn is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM1274.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Helliar Holm,chambered cairn (1.5 km), Car Ness Battery,Car Ness (1.6 km), Bay of Meil, chapel 250m W of Holland (2.2 km).
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on scheduled monument data, Domesday records, Roman heritage, PAS finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Head of Work,long cairn